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Contents . —— - PAGE . FEEEHASOSTS' MAGAZINE : — Grand Lodge of Quebec 381 Notes on American Freemasonry 383 Ancient Operative Fremasonry , or Travelling Freemasonry ... 386 Masonic Jottings—No . ii 387 387

Freemasonry in Japan Masonic Notes and Queries 388 Correspondence 389 Masonic Sayings and Doings Abroad 390 MASONIC M IRROR : — * Masonic Mems 391 C L MEETINGS

RAET ODGE : Metropolitan , 392 Provincial 393 Scotland 395 Royal Arch . 390 Mark Masonry 396 Knights of Malta 396 Reviews 396 Address of Bro . Metham , D . Prov . G . M ., Devon 397 398

A Noble Brotherhood How ought Masons to conduct themselves out of the Lodge ... 398 Poetry 399 List of Lodge , & c ., Meetings for ensuing week 400

The "Grand Lodge Of Quebec."

THE "GRAND LODGE OF QUEBEC . "

LONDON , SATURDAY , NOVEMBER 12 , 1870 ,

The Daily Neivs , Montreal , of tlie date October 20 th , contains the proceedings of the so-called " Grand Lodge of Quebec " held at Montreal on the previous day . The Lodge was summoned for hi gh twelve , but

was not opened till one o ' clock . The Grand Master ' s address attempts to justify the course pursued by the self-st yled Grand Lodge , and he g ives a resume of the history of this unfortunate and ill-advised affair : —

" It now becomes my duty to render an account of my Stewardship , —to give to you a brief history of Grand Lodge affairs since we last met , and to submit whatever may seem best for your consideration and action . " On the 20 th of November , with the able counsel and assistance of tbe Committee appointed therefor , I

prepared and caused to be forwarded along with the printed proceedings of the assembly of Oct , 20 th and 21 st , which formed this Grand Lodge , a fraternal letter or address to all the sister Grand Lodges of the world , informing- thorn of the constitutional organization of the Grand Lodge of Quebec , setting forth some of the reasons for the

formation , and requesting fraternal recognition , the establishment of fraternal correspondence and communication , and the interchange of representatives . On the 21 st January I also directed the Grand Secretary to distribute , as above , a brief additional note , chiefly regarding the adhesion of several excellent lodges of

different registries , our recognition by the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia , and the General prosperity of this Grand Body . " And on account of the very unfraternal efforts of certain officials of the Grand Lodge of ' Canada' to prejudice our cause among sister Grand Lodges , and to rectify the

many incorrect statements contained in a voluminous report of an emergent communication of that' G . L ., ' held on December 1 , and which was circulated world-wide ; and , because of the impracticability of sending autograph replies to the numerous letters of enquiry received from almost every part of the Masonic world , I prepared and

caused to be printed and circulated , a detailed and somewhat complete 'Statement concerning the Grand Lodge of Quebec , ' containing a narrative of some of the leading events preceding and subsequent to its formation , refuting some the arguments that had been brought forward against it , and citing some of the precedents , customs ,

usages , and constitutions of our Order , iu favour of the rightful existence , regular formation and supreme authority of this Grand Lodge in and for the Province of Quebec . I believe it has not been shown that there is a single material error ( other than typographical ) in either ' The Statement' or ' The Address ; ' and it will be of no

little interest for you to learn that not a few eminent juris-consults—masonic authors—leading journalists , and other learned brethren in many parts of the world , have by letter and otherwise been pleased most fraternally to express their commendation of the spirit and substance of our printed documents , and also to give thc gratifying

assurance that the facts and arguments therein vrero to them an end of all controversy aneiic tho Grand Lodge of Quebec . "

The recognition by nine Grand Lodges , seven in the United States , and two in British North . America , is exultingl y announced , but no mention is made of those who have declined to extend their recognition . The fact is ignored thai ; the Masonic

jurisdictions in the United States ' " number no less than forty , and that the seven which have recognized the "Grand Lodge of Quebec" comprise for the most part the smallest bodies in that country . No mention whatever is made of the

large and influential Lodges ,-which have refused recognition , nor the grounds of such refusal . Ifc is stated that " some of the reports of these and other grand bodies in favour of this Grand Lodge are documents of great research and marked

ability /' ' as also aie "the addresses of the Grand Masters , and the articles ancl editorials of rare learning in many of the leadin g Masonic Periodicals both in the Old World and the New . " The idea of research , rare learning , and marked ability

seems hereto consist in upholding the views of the schismatics , a sort of " scratch my back and PU scratch your ' s" arrangement .

Dispensations have alread y been granted to no less than five new Lodges . This shows a rather hasty and unseeml y attempt to create an impression of the increased extent of the schism .